When an athlete is looking to build a following, there are few tools as relevant as social media. No one is a better example than LSU’s very own NIL icon Olivia Dunne. With nearly 13.5 million followers across social media, the gymnast’s rise to online fame came long before she ever laid hands on the college gymnastics national title.

However, TikTok, the app that, according to Reuters, posted $16 billion in revenue from the United States, may soon get the axe. While other platforms may hold the user number advantage, it’s the ByteDance-owned app that sets all the trends. Yet as court proceedings fan the rumors of a January 19 shutdown, Dunne turns the clock back to 2020.

Olivia Dunne looks back amid ban rumors

The hashtag TikTok ban continues to trend as January 19 inches closer. Even the 23-year-old used the hashtag in her most recent post, reminiscing about the days before she had 8 million followers on the platform. Livvy uploaded a previously saved draft from four years ago with the caption, “These old drafts, plz #2020 #tiktokban #quarantine.”

The video in question reflected the flavor of a time when lip-sync videos ruled the platform. However, as Olivia Dunne looks back at her social media journey, it’s hard not to imagine if the gymnast truly felt emotional. And while the app had faced a ban back in 2020 under then-president Donald Trump’s administration, this time things look much more serious.

That’s because the U.S. Supreme Court is currently weighing the decision to ban TikTok if ByteDance doesn’t sell its $16 billion U.S. arm. Lawyer Noel Francisco’s statement on Friday has only fanned the rumors of the ban. “On January 19th, as I understand it, we shut down. It is possible that come January 20th, 21st, or 22nd, we might be in a different world,” said Mr. Francisco.

However, a lower court needs to uphold the ruling for the ban to proceed. Unfortunately for TikTok content creators, a lower court did uphold the decision last month, as per NPR. There are layers to the ban, as users will have alternatives to access the app if the ban goes through. However, it’ll be a massive blow to creators such as Olivia Dunne.

The ban could be a huge blow to the NIL star’s brand

“I think the biggest obvious result of this law going into effect is that… it’s going to require more technical savvy to access TikTok,” Kate Ruane told NPR. However, as the director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology added, taking away ease of access “in and of itself is going to be too big of a barrier for lots and lots of people.”

And that would mean disaster for creators and athletes such as Olivia Dunne. After all, 8 million of Livvy’s 13.3 million combined followers follow her on TikTok. The athlete’s popularity has also grown by a wider margin on TikTok rather than on Instagram throughout these four years. As per Betsperts’ estimate, the 23-year-old Dunne made an average of $31.9k-$43k per post on social media in 2023.

However, things will turn grim if the 170 million users in the States suddenly get banned. Despite alternatives like those that already have the app will continue to have access or VPN will help new U.S. users sign up for TikTok, there’s little to no doubt that being on a banned app won’t be feasible. What more? It may even have an impact on Olivia Dunne’s NIL valuation.

Today, Olivia Dunne’s NIL value stands at a whopping $4.2 million. As the 2025 NCAA picks up speed, the fifth-year senior value may continue to rise. However, not having access to TikTok may severely affect how many brands approach NIL athletes such as Livvy Dunne. So no matter how you cut it, a TikTok won’t be good news for that LSU gymnast or any other U.S. athlete with a huge social media following.